‘Give her a store-bought blanket’: Reddit unites over handmade gift etiquette

We all love AITA posts from Reddit, which often include messy family drama, chaotic weddings, and just plain pettiness. Sometimes, though, one post stands out and captures everyone’s attention. This particular post features a crocheted blanket, a picky recipient, and a crafter who refused to “fix” her heartfelt gift. It’s got the internet buzzing for good reason.

The audacity

If you missed it, let me break it down for you. OP (original poster) lovingly crocheted a blanket for their sister-in-law, Amanda, in Amanda’s requested colors. It was a project made with care and gifted freely. No Etsy invoices, no expectation of payment. It was just a pure gift handmade with love and goodness.

But instead of a teary, heartfelt “thank you,” like I would have given, Amanda decided to channel her inner craft judge. She inspected the blanket as if she were critiquing the final round of an art gallery contest. Amanda pointed out “mistakes” in the crochet work, like rows with an accidental color swap. Then she handed it back to OP and said, essentially, do better. She even called the blanket “half-assed” and insisted it wasn’t finished until it was perfect.

Perfect? PERFECTION? Ma’am, this is a handmade gift, not a factory product! If you want perfection, hit up Target and buy a blanket that hasn’t been infused with love, frustration, and hours of your loved one’s valuable time.

Amanda’s audacity didn’t stop there. She demanded OP redo the entire thing. OP, understandably, decided that if Amanda couldn’t appreciate the blanket as it was, she didn’t deserve it at all. She took the blanket back. Then Amanda called OP “ridiculous” and insisted it wouldn’t take long to fix.

This is entitlement

Okay, let’s pause for those unfamiliar with this craft. Crochet isn’t like making a typo in a Word document. You can’t just backspace and fix a mistake. Fixing an error on row 36 of a massive 1,115-row project is essentially starting over. Amanda’s request wasn’t just rude, it was a whole new level of entitlement.

Reddit, naturally, sided with OP in a landslide. Comments poured in from crafters and non-crafters alike, collectively aghast at Amanda’s behavior. One commenter summed it up perfectly: “This is someone who will not be good with any handmade gift. Give her a store-bought blanket.” 

Another user declared OP should give Amanda a much-needed gift.  “Your next gift to miss it-has-to-be-perfect should be a ‘How to Crochet’ book, a couple of different-sized hooks, and a nice selection of yarn.” Which I think would be the most deliciously petty thing to do. Hype it up after you gift her the items and talk about how excited you are to share the craft.

The verdict

Here’s the thing about handmade gifts, they’re not just objects. They represent time, effort, and care all stitched together. Each tiny imperfection is a mark of the creator’s humanity. Expecting handmade perfection is missing the point entirely.

If Amanda wanted a flawless, mass-produced blanket, that’s fine, but then buy one. When someone pours their heart into a gift, the least you can do is appreciate it. Complaining about “mistakes” in a handmade blanket is like criticizing a home-cooked meal because it doesn’t look like Gordon Ramsay made it.

Handmade gifts are about love, effort, and imperfection. They are not about meeting someone’s impossible standards. Amanda’s reaction missed the point entirely, and OP’s response? Totally justified. Maybe next time, Amanda will appreciate the time and care that goes into a gift like this. Until then, I stand with Reddit who is firmly on Team Crochet—OP is NTA!